Q+A with Melody Lim (@hey.itsmelodyy) founder of @malathebrand 💡What inspired you to start Mala the Brand? Since I can remember, I’ve been candle obsessed! My aunt was always burning candles at home, so it became part of my self care routine. I started looking into how to make candles by googling online. After diving deeper into research however, I uncovered a few ugly truths about the candle industry, namely, that some can be made from toxic ingredients such as paraffin wax & lead wicks. At Mala, we use safe ingredients of natural coconut soy wax, lead free wicks, & phthalate & paraben free fragrances, + minimal, earth friendly packaging. To help reduce the effects of greenhouse gases, we’ve partnered with a company that plants a tree with every candle purchased. Since launching, we have planted over 46,000 trees globally. 🙌How do you pay it forward to support others? Mala is built on uplifting other women in business, whether it's connecting others to job openings, potential hires, offering mentoring, or highlighting them in our Muse Monday blog. We also love supporting our planet by using plastic-free packaging, clean, toxic-free ingredients & partnering with @veritree to plant a tree with every candle sold! 👀A founder you admire is... @joannaknix from @knix! @missss.diorr from @vitaeapparel, @samaravisram & @salimavisram from @samara to name a few! ✒️Our Thoughts... 1. These candles are so cute, the tin packaging reminds me of paint cans & looks so cute in my studio + the wooden wick makes for a cozy vibe. The cereal scent was a little strong but I love that it came with a discovery kit so you can test out all their yummy scents! 2. I love how playful & unique all of the Mala candle scents are. One of my favorites was the Matcha Latte, which is light & slightly sweet like tea. I also loved the Sundays scent which reminds me of spring. The cereal one smells exactly like cereal, however was just a bit too strong / sweet for my personal preference. Overall, I am very impressed with Mala the Brand & love that the candles are made with safe ingredients & eco friendly packaging. 📷: @startupgirldaily @shojivankuzumi